The invention relates to a vehicle, in particular road or railway vehicles such as tour buses or the like having a skeleton frame comprising side-wall parts containing vertical sections and joining these panel-like floor and roof elements, whereby a roof beam is provided on both sides of the roof element,
Vehicle superstructures with a structural frame of conventional design feature flush outer contours onto which cladding elements and window glazing are mounted. The roofing is insulated after the cover sheeting has been installed, and is covered over from below by panels. Cables, air ducts and components such as route indicator, mechanisms for operating the the doors and ventilation are installed at the sides in the roof which is then covered with a cladding that can be removed for maintenance purposes.
In modern low floor buses, in addition to the above mentioned fittings, equipment such as air containers or conduits, which was previously situated in the undercarriage, has to be accommodated in the roof. The resultant problems of space and noises caused by air can be solved or eliminated only at considerable expense or effort.
The European patent EP-O 628 469 A1 by the applicant describes a vehicle frame for road vehicles such as commercial vehicles or buses fitted with axles, engine, gears and further power train components. A structural frame is mounted on the undercarriage frame and then built out to form a space for carrying passengers or freight. The side-wall part of the structural frame exhibits vertical columns and, joining these, horizontal hollow sections acting as a support frame for cladding panels. The base element is a multi-layer base panel which is held by brackets both at the edges of the base panel itself and at these side-wall columns.
The previously known structural frame features continuous roof sections or beams at both sides, between which there is a roof element, which if desired contains an inner roof part below the outer roof cladding. The inner roof part may feature roof brackets and an inner roof panel which is displaced sideways with respect to the side-wall columns and is connected to the side-wall columns by means of brackets on the side-wall columns.
According to FR-PS 2 635 064 honeycomb-like floors, intermediate floors and ceilings, along with hollow sections that are welded together and run the fill length of the vehicle, are all assembled into railway vehicle structures. Replacing damaged parts could, if at all possible, be done only by cutting out lengths and welding in replacement parts.